Pyridines, pyrimidines and their derivatives have many uses in the pharmaceutical area as well as in agriculture (herbicides, fungicides, acaricides, anthelmintics, bird repellents), as reagents, intermediates and chemicals for the polymer and textile industry.
The European patent application EP 0 692 474 discloses 2,5-diphenyloxy-4-cyanopyridines. Certain herbicidal 2-thienylmethoxypyridines are known from and EP 0 693 490 A.
The broad generic formula of the International patent application WO 96/06096 embraces 2-azolyl-5-aryloxy-cyanopyridines.
Although many of the known compounds show considerable activity against various weeds, they are not completely satisfying with regard to their selectivity or because of their persistence.
The compounds according to the present invention combine high herbicidal activity with the necessary selectivity and enhanced soil degradation.